The weather is so perfect the last few days. I stay on the porch every spare moment, which are few and far between. Someday, when I move, and I will move, this will be something I miss.

Something about moss.....the delicacy

of it and how detailed it seems. It really is detailed if you know anything about it. A fascinating subject. This covered only one neighborhood tree but with fall is starting to dry out a lot....it will be back, always comes back.
This is the time of year that you only want to be in Georgia....or do I mean this is the only time of year you want to be in Georgia? Well, not really true because I like the sultry summers....a lot.

A beautiful sparkling Sunday after a night out that was fun but late! Nice talk with a lot of different people....some old old friends and some new. Stimulating enough.
Off to my oldest Granddaughter's play. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" Very excited about this one....Photo credit, Chris Davis

Life steps lightly lately. I've learned to accept what comes. There is no rant in my heart for things to be different, for things to move faster or even to move on. All the beauties of this world stay in place a bit longer.
Even this work of cleaning out and removing many things I have loved and that have such memories for all of us from the grandchildren's playroom.....even that has taken on an acceptance and even a joy. Age has it's benefits but the other side of it is that time is so fleeting and leaves such imprints,  and now, there is an end game up ahead. 

Of course there always was, but who knew?

Colder today....not very,  but enough to feel the difference in the day.  It was enough of a change to dig into a pretty sweater and wear boots and for that I am happy. I have to get back into the habit of this blog that I loved doing so much and then wavered and then stopped. I looked at all the photos I have taken over the years and I believe a little bit of beauty in each post will push me enough to write something.

This photograph is one I took of my paper wasp nest along with a few small pieces of wasp nests. I have had the large one for many years, I think 20,  and despite a bit of picking at it by a very fascinated granddaughter, it is in beautiful shape. Something I love.

I am wondering why fall seems to be arriving in such an organized fashion for Atlanta this year. I feel cozy, I want candlelight and I need to get back to work.

5 months later

Something has been just holding me back but I feel a flurry of inspiration that I hope stays with me a long long time.

Besides all that it is easier to get the url from a photo from my blog than it is anywhere else...I think.

Here was my Halloween dark angel....

Birthdays arrive....

Even when you wait, as only a 9 year old can, for her birthday, it does arrive. I've received the facebook photo of her loving my gift and an early in the day phone call, but I so wish I could give her a squeeze. The squeeze she is quickly outgrowing.

I was just lucky enough to spend a week with my two grandchildren in Colorado, hence the hat, but I still miss being there for special days.

Josie and Vivi, I'm so lucky.

Atlanta Chapter PMC Guild

Totally thrilled about the meeting today. Char Gabriel demonstrated stamp making with photopolymer plates. She was great and we had so much fun. What I've been doing when I make these is actually carving out the tree and stamping the letters. Now I have a stamp that will make the carving, except for just additions to make them unique. So much easier. What a successful day. We have such a great group of like minded people and we all learn every single time.

new ring...actually first ring...

Finally spent a few days in my studio nonstop....I had an urge to make a ring and since using Hadar's clay, I feel a great lack of fear when I try something new. I think it is just the feeling of having a big chunk of that wonderful silky clay that she invented. So I started and this is how it looked as an unfired piece...and finished. I cannot wait to try another. I really have had reliquaries on my mind for several years, both glass ones and polymer but I will try that in the bronze as soon as I get a few hours to really dig in.

I am so happy with the ring especially the strength of it. I was even able to put it on a mandrel and tap it larger. It was a joy to make. Hadar's Bronze clay.

In tune ...

..........trying to get a lot done today and insisted to myself I would blog. The morning is half over and I'm off to get Rocket's nails trimmed. The rest of the day is studio time. I'm doing some pendants for the Casa auction, my older grandaughter's school and just designing new pieces. I will be up there for the next 8 hours no matter the time.

Picture of my baby grandchild. 8 months. She is funny and quite a character.

Well, Keith Olbermann is gone from MSNBC. I now have no one really interesting to watch and am very dismayed. I will watch some of O'Donnell and Maddow, but it will not be the same.

I am leaving Sunday for a week of intensive bronze, copper and silver work in Mexico with a wonderful artist, Hadar Jacobson. She is from Berkeley and is phenomenal. I am anxious...travel does that to me sometimes...but thrilled for this chance to learn something from someone so good.

I will miss my grandgirlies...a lot. They truly are the lights of my entire life.

Snowed in for days!

It has been a funny funny week. All white and bright out with streets as slick as northern neighborhood ponds. You would think that after 5 days it would be melted in Georgia, it always has been in the past but here we are walking to everything and being very friendly

with all who live close.

I would think that all of the things I really need to work on, like my dollhouse blog (didn't know about that one, did you? http://onetoonetennyson.blogspot.com/ ) my Sketchbook Project sketchbook, which MUST be in the mail in two days, and then, properly preparing for the workshop I'm taking in Mexico in 10 days, would have been perfect to fill these days. No, not quite, because for some reason I am learning to knit. Now, I did not look for this new art, my granddaughter, Josie, taught me to knit 2 weeks ago and I just happened to have 5 sets of knitting needles that were stashed away for the last 10 years or so and some yarn. You would not believe the amount of instruction you can find online AND it is so easy to order those darn books....gorgeous knitting books, most by Nicky Epstein, from Amazon. They show up in the mail sometimes the next day(except when you're snowed in). Anyway I now have this(check out my knitting photo!)....and I am so happy.

January ...Epiphany

Today would have been my mother's 92nd birthday. reading about January 6th today and the Epiphany and all it used to stand for made me think perhaps my mother's short time on earth was like that of an angel. An angel with some problems but here to leave the importance of tiny things in the minds of her children. Every bird, every plant, every little animal, all I know about them I can attribute to her.......and the way pansies smell...all these things. Happy Birthday Mom...I miss you so.

I did finish a small piece. Just an idea of what may come. These polymer pieces are made by Terri Stone at TLSClay Design on Etsy. They are beautiful and I hope to use them more and more in mixed media necklaces. In this one I did misjudge the frame and to my chagrin had to shave down the polymer but I think the next one will be right. It is still beautiful, even with only the center showing. The frame and bail are fine silver, hand carved and finished.

Happy New Year to all. I hope this is a good one.

another month....December already

It has been a long time. I can't seem to get my joy back up enough to blog. My mind is overoccupied and I'm learning new things about life and myself so bear with me. I have been working some and painting and glass work are in my head also. I think I have too much going on and I want to do so much in the years I have left on this earth. There is never enough time.

A new piece that I really like, front and back.

Making sweaters for my pup and wanting to learn to felt! I cannot fit it all in....depressing....but exhilarating!

Christmas is coming too.

migraine...

is it the heat or is it because I ate sugar today? I feel blurry all over.

having determination.......

Reading Kathleen Dustin's blog this morning and coming away with renewed hope that if I keep working at all the various things I do they will all come together and actually be something that I am completely happy with. Of course her talent is bigger than life and what she does so innovative and daring in ways that amaze over and over again. Her work is stunning. here is one of her purses. All in polymer.

..... Working today but I continue to want my new grandchild here so I can just sit and stare at her. She is so cute...and already funny!

hmmm.... and Happy Birthday honey!

No healthy breakfast drink today...just had many cups of green tea instead. Tomorrow maybe.

Got to babysit a little today ...Vivi slept the entire time! Now upstair to my studio...and start packing a box to go to Colorado....leaving Tuesday.

Today is my husband's birthday...I wish him everything he most desires and many more years. Our days are full and happy!

This is a sweet photo of him.

out of kale...

Almost 11 at night and I'm thinking it's time to get back to the green drink in the morning. I have no kale but maybe celery and basil , blueberries and protein powder in some coconut water. Now, that is an interesting thing....the coconut water. It is really coconut milk, is very very good for you and since I have eliminated all dairy milk from my house, a nice alternative to almond milk. I have a few other things and will post a picture of my drink tomorrow.

My lunch these days consists of fresh wonderful tomatoes with turmeric and ground pepper and some salt. Delicious! I feel very very healthy...and weigh what I did 20 years ago. Also Barleans omega swirl fish oil is so full of lemon flavor that you actually want to take it every day.

recovering...

Always hard to recover from the weekend.

Today is a studio day and if I ever get it just a little neater and more organized I will be able to go in there and work without fear! Lately I am spending more time going through things and cleaning out than working...that is not good.

Full moon last night and while looking at the sky I remembered the way the sunsets looked when I lived in a high rise. Many people don't realize how beautiful the sky is at dusk in Atlanta..I think you have to be up high or on a lake to see it.